Fundamentals | Documentation

The Reggio Approach is a complex system of thought and practice with many dynamic entry points that interact; it is not a method, program or curriculum. (LINK to Key Principles)

Documentation is central to the Reggio Approach, a fundamental tool. 

An essential component of a Reggio-inspired program is to make visible the learning of both children and adults. This happens through documentation, in which the process of learning is recorded through note-taking, dialogue, photographs, video and other means of transcribing the interactions of children with the environment, with adults and with each other. Through this process the learning can be studied, reflected upon and re-entered; ideas can be brought in to add variety or complexity to renew the experience.

More than mere “evidence” of completed work, documentation in the Reggio tradition becomes part of a reflective loop: it makes initial ideas visible, creates access points for new participants and new dialogue and paves the way for fresh ideas–which will, in turn, be documented and incorporated into the growing body of thought. In Reggio-inspired practice, documentation helps children grow their ideas; it also opens up an avenue of participation for parents, elevates the professional discourse among teachers, and serves as a source for advocacy in the world of public policy.

Reggio-Inspired Network of Minnesota - Seeing Children

Documentation is not limited to making visible what already exists: it also makes things exist precisely because it makes them visible and therefore possible.

Rinaldi, C. 2006 In Dialogue with Reggio

We tend to believe that observation and documentation can be objective, but the Reggio tradition acknowledges that we are always, whether or not we are aware of it, selecting what to pay attention to and what to ignore. Documentation is never neutral. That’s why it’s important to share it in a tentative and ongoing process and invite other perspectives.